Separation of High Schools
by Aemith
Summary: The rivalry between New Rome High and Greek High is legendary. The students from the schools hate each other. Piper McLean never thought that she'd fall in love with a "Roman" as they're called. But Jason Grace never thought he'd fall in love with a "Greek" either. Modern AU. Inspired by Nardragon's story, A Tale Of Two High Schools.
1. Chapter 1- The beginning

**Hi guys! This is my first fanfic, so please don't judge too harshly. If you have any constructive advice, please tell me!**

 **Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own any Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus characters.**

* * *

In the city of Olympia, two high schools were constantly fighting. New Rome High School (NRHS) and Greek High School (GHS) were really competitive against each other, especially in competitive sports. All "Roman" freshmen were quickly taught to hate "Greeks", and the Greeks were taught to hate the Romans.

The rivalry had been around since the principals of the schools, who happened to be twins, got into an argument. The argument escalated until they disowned each other. The brothers hadn't spoken to each other since, but the separation affected both schools.

* * *

It was the fourth quarter in the basketball game with only thirty seconds to go. The Greek side of the gym was covered with bright orange banners and cheering people dressed in orange. On the other side, the Romans were sporting purple banners and were shouting as loud as they could. You'd never be able to tell which team was home if not for the purple walls and the giant eagle mascot in the gym.

The score was a tie. Both teams had 46 points. The referee handed the ball to Travis Stoll of GHS. Travis brought the ball down the court slowly, then quickly passed it to his brother, Connor. Connor dribbled toward the basket and jumped in the air to make the shot- only to be tackled to the ground by Mike Kahale of New Rome High. The referee blew the whistle, but the boys continued to fight, pummeling each other her. Finally, the coaches had to come down and pry them off each other.

"Oh gods, not again" 17 year-old Annabeth Chase of Greek High groaned. "Those stupid Romans keep on fouling and slowing us down! If not for all the fouling, we would have won already!"

"I absolutely agree Annabeth" said Katie Gardner, one of her classmates. "Travis made such a good pass too" she said, gazing adoringly at her boyfriend, Travis.

"I just wanna pound those stupid Romans to a pulp." Clarisse LaRue growled angrily, cracking her knuckles.

Meanwhile, the referee gave the ball back to Travis, who promptly sprinted down the court at top speed. He skillfully wove around the Roman's and neared the hoop. The Greeks screamed and cheered him on wildly. It seemed as if they would win this basketball game. But suddenly, Dakota of New Rome High School successfully stole the ball from Connor and bolted back down the court.

 _Ten seconds_

Dakota raced down the court. Connor and Travis caught up to him and cut him off.

 _Nine seconds_

Dakota passed the ball to Jason Grace of New Rome High School

 _Eight seconds_

Jason sprinted down to the hoop

 _Seven seconds_

Jason dodged Malcolm of the Greeks and got ready to shoot. The crowd roared as loud as it could. The Greeks screamed furiously while the Romans cheered.

 _Six seconds_

The ball flew out of Jason's hands

 _Five seconds_

It sailed through the air

 _Four seconds_

It sailed through the air

 _Three seconds_

It neared the basket.

 _Two seconds_

It was almost at the rim of the hoop

 _One second_

The basketball swished through the net.

 _Zero seconds_

The buzzer went off and the game ended

The crowd roared. The Greeks were yelling at the Romans and some of them were even getting into fistfights. The Romans cheered and smiled at their victory.

"Oh come on! Why is it that all of our basketball games against New Rome always ends up with them winning? Why couldn't it be the other way around?" Katie Gardner exclaimed.

"I swear, I'm going to go over their and break all of their faces." Clarisse snarled. "I really hope that they like the idea of a facial"

Piper McLean, Annabeth's best friend, finally spoke up. "Okay, listen up guys. Clarisse, you especially. If you guys got into a fight here and got caught, I think that you'll be in huge trouble" she said.

Down in the court, the two teams were "congratulating" each other. The Greeks kept sending hostile glares at the Romans, who only smirked smugly.

"You know, we could beat you in nearly all sports except for basketball" Travis hissed at Dakota.

"Are you sure about that Stoll?" Dakota asked, staring at him with a huge grin on his face. "I think that we could take you guys down in most of them"

Travis growled and stepped forward. Conner grabbed his shoulder and shook his head slightly, pulling him away.

Meanwhile, a certain elf eared young Hispanic teen with curly brown hair grinned to himself as he pressed a button on a remote. Suddenly, the sprinklers went of, causing chaos. People shrieked at the sudden downpour, others took advantage of this situation and started brawling, Clarisse among them.

* * *

During all the chaos, Piper got separated from her friends. She was new to the area and had never been to the New Rome Campus before. She ran through the halls, trying to hide before the cops showed up. Some Roman boys noticed her orange Greek shirt and ran after her. Piper fled, turning abruptly down a corridor. Suddenly, a hand reached out, grabbed her, and dragged her into a closet. The Roman's ran past the closet, their footsteps fading in the distance.

"Thanks" Piper said

"No problem" a voice responded.

Piper turned to look at her rescuer, but she couldn't see him in the dim light.

"I'm Piper"

"Hi Piper, I'm Jason. Jason Grace"

 _Wait... Why do I recognize that name?_ Piper thought _._

Suddenly, Piper heard sirens approach the school. She listened as the cops lectured the kids about "proper behavior" and told them that this was their last warning and then they drove away.

Piper reached for the door handle only to find that Jason's hand was on it.

"Jason, will you please open the door?"

Jason jumped a bit, startled at hearing her voice. "Sure" he said, turning the handle.

Piper turned around and smiled at him slightly. "Thanks Jason"

"No problem" he responded, smiling back at her.

"Well, uh...bye." Piper said, walking away.

"Bye..." Jason said, gazing after her.

* * *

 **So...How was it?**


	2. Chapter 2- Greetings and Meetings

**Thanks for reading this guy's! You have no idea how much I appreciate that you guys actually bothered to read this! Also, special thanks to those who favorited this story or added it to their alert list! I'll try to update this story about once or twice a week to make up for the shortness of each chapter.**

 **Discalaimer: I wish I owned the Percy Jackson series, unfortunately I don't.**

* * *

One day later Jason stared at the newspaper article not even reading it. He was thinking about that beautiful girl he had met when he pulled her in to a closet away from his classmates. He was sure she was from GHS but still…

Suddenly the door slammed shut and Dakota stumbled in with two black eyes, breaking Jason away from his thoughts.

"Man we totally demolished those Greek idiots yesterday at that basketball game," Dakota laughed. "That fight was amazing too."

"Dude who did your makeup?" Jason asked smirking, gesturing to his injuries.

Dakota grinned, " That wrestling girl from GHS. She seemed to really enjoy pummeling me."

"I think that her name is Clarissa or something"

" She kept on kicking, screaming curses, and punching out at me as ten of her friends dragged her away."

"Hey do you have any idea who Piper is?"

" Yeah. She's that beautiful chic from GHS. Piper is perfect dude, she has like eyes that have no exact color. Her best friend, Annabeth, is really smart and has those unnerving gray eyes that makes her look like she wants to kill you. Too bad Piper goes to freaking GHS. You know how those freaks are…" Dakota said, trailing off. "Anyway, why did you ask about Piper?"

"Oh, no reason" Jason said quickly.

Dakota looked at him trying to read his face. Finally he stood up and said, "Well, better get going. Party at Reyna's house today for our victory and you're invited."

Taking another swig from his flask of Kool Aid, Dakota left slamming the door behind him.

* * *

fight at New Rome's gym made the local headlines that week.

Annabeth and Piper were doing homework at Annabeth's house when they spotted the paper.

Annabeth groaned. "Students from both schools get into a fight at the NRHS gym." She read. "Students are given last waring…"

Piper stared at the ceiling. "I'm sorry what?" she asked absentmindedly.

"Weren't you listening?" Annabeth sighed. Lately, her friend had been acting distracted. "Is something wrong Piper?"

"No. " Piper replied.

" Okay, whatever you say." Annabeth responded,slightly confused and suspicious.

"Bye Annabeth, I've gotta go. I promised my dad that I'd be home by five. See you tomorrow at school! " Piper said, grabbing her backpack.

" Bye Piper! "

* * *

Piper shut the front door behind her and started walking back home. She lived two blocks away from Annabeth and preferred to walk. As she went along, she noticed that the clouds were threatening looking and realized that it might start pouring at any minute. She hurried along as fast as she could. Piper had only walked half a block when it started to rain. Actually, it was more like a downpour.

 _Oh great. Now I get to walk in the rain._

Piper struggled along, walking against the wind and rain. She was completely soaked through. Her clothes were heavy with water, and that weight combined with the weight of her soaked backpack must've weight at least forty pounds. Suddenly, Piper noticed that the rain had stopped falling on her. Startled, she looked up and saw an umbrella over her. Her eyes then recognized the holder of the umbrella.

"Jason" Piper said, slightly relieved that someone had brought her and umbrella.

Jason looked down. "Your name is Piper right?"

"Yeah"

"Okay then, high Piper" Jason said looking up at the clouds."Where we're you heading to? I'm going just a block or too from here. Do you need me to walk you home?"

Piper looked up at at the sky and noticed that it had stopped raining. "I can walk home by myself, but thank you for offering." She said politely.

"I see. Well, have a good day Piper!" Jason said.

* * *

Piper walked towards her house. That boy was something. She hadn't seen him before, and yet he lived in this area. Piper was nearly certain that he didn't go to her school. I'll ask Annabeth about "Jason Grace" later. She thought as she stepped into her house.

"I'm home Dad!" Piper said, plunking her backpack off on the couch.

Her father, Tristan McLean walked into the room, holding a newspaper. "I'm glad you're back Pipes. Maybe you can tell me why you didn't tell me about the little "fight" that happened at NRHS yesterday."

"Oh,um..." Piper said uncertainly. "I meant to tell you, but I must've forgot."

"Piper,how can you forget to tell me these sort of things?"

"I'm sorry Dad, I just didn't want to bother you."

"Piper, like I've said, it's okay to tell me anything. You wouldn't be a bother."

" Okay, sorry Dad" Piper said, hugging him. "I've just had a bad day" she said, walking away.

* * *

Jason walked up to Reyna's front door and knocked. Almost instantly, the door was opened by Reyna herself.

"Hi Jason! I'm glad you could make it." She said, smiling slightly.

"Thanks for inviting me Reyna."

"No problem."

"Jason looked around. He could see New Rome students everywhere. Suddenly, he noticed a fairly sizable group of Roman's laughing over something.

"Hey guys. What so funny?" Jason asked curiously.

"Octavian's brilliant!" one girl laughed.

Jason looked at direction that everyone was looking at and noticed that in the middle of the crowd, Octavian Augur was bending over a table and had laid a map on top of it.

"Okay guys. I know for a fact that a a lot of Greeks live in this area. What do you say that we give them a little surprise?" Octavian laughed.

The Roman's cheered.

Octavia grinned. "I know where Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson, Charles Beckendorf, and Piper McLean live." he said, pointing to several spots on the map. "We have spray paint and toilet paper. This section.." Octavia said, gesturing to a quarter of the room. "Will be going to Annabeth's place, this section to Jackson's, this to Beckendorf's, and the remainder to McLean's." He said, smirking.

Jason gaped. We're they trying to get in trouble?

Everyone was so busy planning that they failed to spot a certain mop of curly brown hair disappearing into the bushes.

* * *

TV

 **New Chapter. Once again, please let me know if any improvements or ideas! ~Freedom Hunter**


	3. Chapter 3- Leo's retaliation

**Wow, over 200 views! Thanks guys! I hope you enjoy the latest chapter!**

 **Discalaimer: The usual, I don't own the PJO or HOO series, although I wish I did.**

* * *

The boy drove through the streets in his car, which he had lovingly named "Festus", and pulled up to a dark blue house with the name "Jackson" on the mailbox. He parked and hopped out of his car, walking up to the door and ringing the doorbell.

A dark haired lady opened the door. "Why hello Leo! What brings you here at this hour?"

"Hello Mrs. Jackson, is Percy home? I really need to talk to him right now."

"He's in his room. Why don't you come inside? I just made a batch of blue chocolate chip cookies." Mrs. Jackson said, smiling.

"I'd love that" the curly haired boy, Leo, smiled,stepping inside.

Leo walked into Percy's room and found him snoring away. Percy's girlfriend, Annabeth, was also sitting in his room, typing on her laptop. Annabeth looked up and noticed Leo standing in the doorway.

Annabeth sighed, closing her laptop. "What did you do this time Repair Boy? Are you hiding a new invention from the cops again?"

"Unfortunately, no. It's nice to see you too Annabeth, but I've got some bad news."

"Oh gods, you made another invention and set it loose again?"

"Yes, I mean no, I mean are you going to let me explain the bad news or not?"

"Fine, go ahead" Annabeth said, reopening her laptop.

"Well, I overheard a few Romans, and it seemed like they're gonna trash some Greek houses, including Percy's house, your place, Beckendorf's, and Beauty Queen's house. So what's the plan?" Leo said, grinning.

"Wait, what?!" Annabeth looked at him in shock.

"You heard me"

"Well...we should probably call the police"

"That's too boring"

"Leo, it's the only was to deal with this without getting trouble!"

"Maybe I could, um, release some recent projects of mine? They could take care of them?"

"My gods Leo, you're not planning to kill anyone are you?" Annabeth groaned.

It was at that moment that Percy decided to wake up.

"So…what did I miss?" the black haired boy said, scratching the back of his neck.

Annabeth told him about their situation.

"Well, we should go out and beat them up so that they can't TP our houses or anything! Let's meet them head-on!" Percy laughed.

"You're such a Seaweed Brain! That's a stupid idea and is going to get us in huge trouble!" Annabeth said, smacking his head lightly.

"Well, I could release my inventions. They won't kill anyone, but they'll give them a bruise or two, enough to send them running back to wherever they came from" Leo said, smiling.

"Well…they're probably on their way right now. You better release them soon." Percy stated

Leo reached into his tool belt and pulled put a remote.

"They just got released." Leo said, grinning as her pressed a button.

Jason a had been put in a group with a curly haired girl named Hazel Levesque and a burly looking Chinese guy named Frank, who was actually a big softie, surprisingly.

Hazel grimaced. "Do we have to do this?" She asked Jason.

"Hey, it's not my choice. Octavian is the one doing this. He's pretty popular and has a bunch of followers. If we don't do this we might end upon his bad side." Jason rolled his eyes. "I hate that guy though."

"You're not the only one" Frank said.

They ran along the street with backpacks full of spray paint and toilet paper when Hazel stopped abruptly.

"Did you hear that?" She said quietly.

"Hear what?" Frank said, confused. "I don't hear anything"

"Yeah, me neither" Jason said.

"It sounded almost like a buzzing sound. Hey look, there's the house we were sent to" Hazel said, pointing to a large house with the name "McLean" on the front gate.

"Okay, let's go." Frank said, stepping forward.

Big mistake

Suddenly, a swarm of tiny bugs flew out of the sky and started attacking Frank, punching at his nose and boxing his ears.

"Ahhhhhhhhh! Hazel help!" Frank yelled, batting at the bugs.

"What on Earth are those things?" Hazel squeaked, running g overy to help Frank.

"I don't know, but they seem like they wanna stop us." Jason said swiping at the insects.

The bugs divided and a third of them attacked Jason, who yelped and ran blindly for cover. He heard Frank and Hazel yelling behind him, but he didn't care. The only thought in his mind told him to get away from those horrible biting, stinging, punching insects pursuing him.

* * *

Piper looked outside after hearing the screams. What was going on? She looked around cautiously and stepped outside, trying to find the source of the screams, suddenly, she heard a shriek from somewhere in front of her. Piper ran towards that direction and saw Jason Grace, screaming his head off and slapping at some type of small bug. She walked over slowly.

"Jason!" She yelled, trying to get his attention. At the sound of her voice, the little bugs flew over to her, landing on her shoulder.

She looked down at them. "Hey Festus" She said smiling. "I see Leo gave you some modifications." the little bugs squeaked in unison as a response.

Jason groaned and collapsed. Piper looked at the bugs on her shoulder.

"You didn't kill him did you?!" Piper asked Festus accusingly.

Festus creaked in protest, which translated roughly to _of course no_ t.

"Thank goodness"

Suddenly, screams came from the other direction. "AHHHHHHH! HAZEL, GET THEM OFF ME!"

"Frank! Stop, I can't catch up to you! " another voice shrieked.

Piper looked back at Festus and raised her eyebrows. "You wouldn't happen to have anything to do with that, would you?"

 _Um…no?_ Festus said. He morphed into a miniature dragon.

"Yeah, like I'd believe that. Anyway, what were you doing to those kids. What did they ever do to you?" Piper said, gripping Jason's legs. "Hey, help me carry him into the house." Piper said to Festus.

 _Those kids happen to be Romans Piper. They were planning to trash your house._ Festus said, helping Piper carry Jason.

"Wait what?" Piper said in surprise, nearly dropping Jason's head.

"The Roman's were trying to trash my house? Are they Roman's too?" Piper asked gesturing to Hazel and Frank, who were running around in circles.

 _Well your house and a few others. Leo sent out his latest upgrades and creations out to meet them. I was sent here. And yes they're Roman._ Festus creaked.

"Get the bugs away from them Festus," Piper sighed. Festus obeyed, and all the bugs came to him and flew into his mouth.

Frank stopped running so suddenly that Hazel ran into him, making him fall. Hazel managed to find her balance and turned around noticing that Piper was standing with Jason at her feet and Festus next to her.

Hazel looked Piper up and down, "Who are you and what are you doing to Jason?"

Hazel got in to a defensive position and stepped closer to the unconscious boy on the ground.

"Relax, my name is Piper McLean. What's yours?" Piper asked the younger girl.

She relaxed a little bit and said, "Hazel Levesque."

"Well Hazel Levesque, can you help me carry Jason into the house so that I can treat his bites? You and your boyfriend should probably come in too." Piper smiled.

"Oh, Frank's not my boyfriend" Hazel stuttered, blushing beet red. "He's a classmate" she said, helping Piper pick Jason up.

"Hazel! "Frank said, getting to his feet. " Oh... Who are you?" Frank asked Piper.

"I'm Piper."

"Frank,help us get Jason inside." Hazel said.

"Okay" Frank said, opening the door for the two girls and the small dragon. "Is that a dragon?!"

"Yep" Piper said, carrying Jason onto the couch.

"So, now what? Won't your parents get mad or anything?" Hazel asked curiously.

"Could you please reach into that cab it and grab the bottle labeled 'Leo antidote' on it?" Piper asked Frank. "And no Hazel, my parents aren't home."

"Oh, okay" Hazel said awkwardly as Frank handed the bottle to Piper.

"What is that stuff?" Frank asked suspiciously. "You aren't trying to poison us are you?

" Hey, do you want to get those bites healed or not? I know for a fact that those bites won't go away without using this oil" Piper snapped, opening the jar. "So? Do you want those to go away?" she snapped, glaring at Frank angrily.

* * *

 **New Chapter. Sorry, I'm horrible at ending chapters.**


	4. Chapter 4- Piper (and Festus) Help Out

**Hey guys, Freedom Hunter has (finally) returned! I'm super sorry about the long four months wait, but now that summer's here, I'll hopefully be able to write some more on a daily basis. :)**

 **Author's note: All words in an italic bold font are spoken by Festus.**

 **Discalaimer: Once again, I do not own The Heroes of Olympus or Percy Jackson and the Olympians, although I wish I did.**

* * *

 **~CHAPTER 4~**

* * *

Jason groaned and rolled over, still half asleep. He had had the strangest dream last night about Piper McLean and a small bronze dragon saving him from a a giant swarm of vicious man-eating bugs who had been chasing him. The Roman lifted his head up slightly and noticed that he was laying on a huge dark brown couch and was covered by a gigantic fluffy blue blanket. _Where am I?_ Jason thought, blinking tiredly.

He heard someone shouting, "That's my cookie Frank! Give it back! You can get your own!" Jason snorted. _Was he at Hazel's house?_

Jason thought he heard a series of creaking sounds and looked around for the source.

Then a voice spoke close to him, "Shush Festus, I think that he's finally awake."

He turned his head to the left and spotted Piper McLean sitting on a chair next to him with a little metal dragon perched on her shoulder. Jason gaped at her and the dragon, who almost appeared to be glaring at him and was blowing little tufts of fire threateningly.

For once, Jason was at a loss for words, "Is that a dragon?" he finally stammered, gesturing to Festus with one hand.

"What? Does he look like a donkey or something to you?" Piper asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes at him. "Yes, Festus here is a dragon."

 ** _Hello you puny and insignificant Roman_ ,** Festus creaked.

"Festus! Be nice!" Piper scolded, chuckling slightly at the bronze dragon's comment.

"Wait, you can understand what the dragon said?" Jason mumbled, sitting up slightly.

"Well, yes. It's not that hard. He speaks in Morse Code."

"Oh…" Jason said awkwardly as he thought of something to say. "Uh, where am I?"

"You're at my house Jason. I know how to heal the stings from the bugs that attacked you guys, so I helped your friends bring you here," Piper said. "You also might not want to move your arm and legs too much, they're going to be super sore."

"Wait, how do you know how to heal the stings?"

"Um…" Piper stammered. "Those bugs were made by a friend of mine"

"Wait, what?" Hazel said, coming up from behind Piper suddenly.

"Uh, my friend Leo made those" Piper said, scratching her head sheepishly.

Jason sat up quickly. "Is this a trap or prank?!" he said, narrowing his eyes at Piper accusingly.

Festus snorted. ** _That one isn't incredibly bright is he? But again, he is a Roman after all._**

Piper glared at Jason furiously, her eyes flashing in anger. "I had no idea they would attack anyone! Those bugs are usually nice! And I wouldn't be talking if I were you, considering that you three were plotting to trash my house!" She yelled, pointing at Jason, Frank, and Hazel angrily.

Festus grinned _(Can a dragon grin?)_. _**You tell 'em girl.**_

They were all silent for a moment. "I'm so sorry Piper, it was difficult to not do what everyone else did. The three of us don't like Octavian and aren't fond of his ideas," Frank said staring down at his feet pretending to be interested in the carpet, "We're thankful for the medicine as well. Sorry Piper."

Hazel lowered her gaze, embarrassed. "Yeah, thanks a lot Piper. I'm sure Jason is thankful too, _right_ Jason?" she asked, glaring at Jason.

"Well she's pretty, but her friend sent those things out to attack as and might I remind you that her friend listened in on us," Jason retorted.

Hazel kicked him in the shin.

"Ow!" Jason cried. "Uh thanks Piper." he mumbled glaring at Hazel and massaging his shin, where a fresh purple bruise was blossoming.

"You're welcome." Piper said stiffly. "Don't expect me to be so forgiving if you three ever try to do that again," she hissed.

"O-o-okay Piper," Frank stuttered nervously.

"You guys should get out, of here" Piper muttered. "Your little Roman friends are probably looking for you three."

"Thanks for everything Piper," Hazel said, grabbing both of the boys arms and leading them away.

 _ **We should fry them and turn them into crisps,**_ Festus decided. _**What do you say Piper?**_

"You're welcome," Piper grumbled, ignoring Festus. "Just don't _ever_ do that again."

"Don't worry, we won't," Frank said,stepping out the door as quickly as possible causing him to face plant. Hazel helped him up and a red faced Frank walked quickly down the driveway as fast as he could without sprinting.

Piper, Hazel, and Jason watched Frank make his escape. Hazel was chuckling slightly,and Piper was trying and failing to contain her laughter. Jason just stood there with a huge grin on his previously scowling face.

"Well once again, thanks Piper," Hazel said, smiling at her and walking away.

"No problem! Bye Hazel!" Piper said as she waved goodbye.

Piper turned to Jason. "Well? Aren't you going to leave too? You probably need to get back to that party before they get suspicious."

"I'm sorry for accusing you of tricking us Piper," Jason apologized, running a hand through his hair.

"It's okay Jason," Piper said. "I forgive you. Now get out of here," she said laughing.

Jason grinned at her. "Bye Pipes," he said, stepping off her front porch.

"Bye Jason"

Piper watched as Jason walked away, a slight smile on her face. When he was gone, she walked back inside and collapsed on the couch, exhausted. As Piper slowly fell asleep, she noticed that Festus had disappeared, which reminded her that she had to call a certain curly-haired friend of hers about the Roman-attaking bug swarm.

* * *

 **New chapter. Suggestions and reviews are much appreciated!**

 **~Freedom Hunter signing out~**


	5. Chapter 5- Suspicions

**Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Chapter 5!**

 **Hello there guys! Freedom Hunter is back with another update!**

 **So, what did you guys think about the last chapter? Do you guys think that I should add any OCs (Original Characters) to this story? I feel as if there aren't very many Roman demigods mentioned in the Heroes of Olympus. Anyways, could you guys please refresh my memory about some of the Roman demigods names? That would great.**

 **Author's note: All of Leo's lines in the phone conversation are in italics.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Percy Jackson series**

* * *

 **~Chapter 5~**

* * *

 _"Hello?"_

"LEO VALDEZ!"

 _"Good morning to you too Beauty Queen."_

"WHAT ON EARTH WE'RE YOU THINKING?! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!"

" _What are you talking about?"_

You know perfectly well what I'm talking about Leo!"

 _"I couldn't just let those Roman idiots TP your house Piper."_

"You idiot! You could've seriously injured them! Do you know how much those stings hurt Leo?!"

 _"Chill Piper, they deserved it."_

"Really Leo?"

 _"Yup"_

"Ugh, you're so childish sometimes. Leo, don't ever do something like that again. Next time, just warn me about the Roman's, don't attack them with those bugs ever again, okay?"

 _"I can't promise you that Piper."_

"LEO!"

 _"Okay,fine. I, Leo Valdez, solemnly swear to never attack those idiots from New Rome High School with biting bugs again. Are you happy now?"_

"Eh,good enough."

 _"As much as I love talking with you, I've gotta get back to work. My dad needs my help. See ya Pipes."_

"Bye Leo"

* * *

As Jason Grace walked into New Rome High School's gym for basketball practice, he noticed that Octavian Augur was staring at him suspiciously, his eyes cold and calculating. Dread coursed through Jason's veins as the blonde boy approached him.

"Grace," Octavian drawled. "A word."

Jason nodded and followed Octavian over to the top of the bleachers.

"Grace, I couldn't help but notice that Piper McLean's house was looking incredibly normal this morning as I drove by, " Octavian said, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed Jason's expression. "Care to explain why that is?"

"She had set up alarms, " Jason lied, desperately trying to make up an excuse. "We unknowingly triggered them, and McLean must've called the police. The next thing we knew, police cars started to come down the road. The three of us just took off at that point. I'm pretty sure the cops never saw us though."

"So Grace, if I ask Chubbers and The Dwarf, who were with you on this mission about this, would they have the same answer?"

"Absolutely Augur," Jason said. "You don't honestly think I'm lying do you?" he snorted.

Octavian just smiled.

* * *

"Hazel, Hazel, HAZEL!" Jason screeched frantically, racing towards the curly haired girl as fast as he could.

She whirled around, " Hey Jason, what's up?"

"We're in trouble, Octavian saw Piper's house! Tell him when he comes that there were alarms and we triggered them and that the police came and we booked it," he said breathlessly, "We've got to tell Frank!"

He watched as her face became filled with fear, "It's too late," She said limply, pointing down the hall. There stood Frank talking to the Augur himself.

"So Chubbers, care to explain why that Greek scum McLean didn't have a TP house." Octavian asked.

"W-W-What are y-y-you t-t-talking about?" Frank stuttered nervously, trying to avoid Octavian's gaze. "We d-d-did TP Piper's house. S-S-She must've cleaned it up this m-m-morning or something."

"Ah, so now you're referring to that brat as Piper huh? Oh, and Jason here had a different story, didn't you Jason?" Octavian smirked.

"I called them off," a commanding voice proclaimed.

The group whirled around to find Reyna (Praetor) Ramirez-Arellano standing there with her arms crossed. Reyna glared at Octavian.

"Ah, it's so nice of you to join us, Praetor," Augur snarled.

"What seems to be the problem?" She asked.

"These two lied to me. They never said you called them off." Octavian said, glaring at Jason and Frank pointedly.

"They were just nervous about the way you were scowling at them Octavian. You must've scared them so much that they had to make up an excuse, " Reyna said coolly.

"You two are lucky that the Praetor is here to save your sorry butts," Octavian snarled,storming away furiously.

The crowd which had gathered around the five of them parted to make way for Octavian. Every single Roman in the hall had fallen silent.

"Well? Shows over people, " Reyna said calmly. "You are free to go back to whatever it was that you were doing."

Slowly, the people moved on. Jason nudged Hazel and Frank. The three of them started to sneak away.

"Wait."

The trio turned around slowly.

"May I speak to you Jason?"

"Sure," Jason said. "You two go on without me, " he said, looking at Frank and Hazel, who nodded and left.

"Follow me please," Reyna said, walking away.

Jason walked after her, slightly nervously. She wasn't mad at him was she? The Praetor led him to a corner of the hall and turned to look at him.

"You should be thankful that I was even there to save you guys. Next time, you may not be as lucky."

"Well, thank you Reyna."

She smiled. "Anyways, I was also going to warn you to be more careful with your excuses. I don't know why you guys didn't do what you were told, but frankly, I don't really care. Just please don't let that happen again."

"Okay. "

Reyna gave him one last smile and walked away.

* * *

 **New Chapter.**

 **By the way, what do you guys think about the length of each chapter? Do you feel as if they are too short?. Please tell me about any suggestions, concerns, or ideas you have. I love hearing your opinions!**

 **~This is Freedom Hunter signing out~**


	6. Chapter 6- Jason's Revelation

**Hey, guess what?**

 **You guys get a longer chapter and an earlier update ^_^. I hope you enjoy it people.**

 **Oh, and back to the question that I asked in the previous chapter. Should I add demigod OCs? Or should I just use the ones in the books? If you guys are in favor of OCs, then you can make one with the template below. I'll try and use them all. ;) You may make a max of up to two OCs.**

 **~Template~**

 **Name:**

 **Gender:**

 **Personality:**

 **Appearance:**

 **~Responses~**

 **Phoenix X 2: I'm glad you like it! :)**

 **BelleTheCountryStar: Thanks for your honest opinion! I'll try to make them a bit longer.**

 **Also, a big thanks to Jalana565, Phoenix X 2 and darkness-can-shine for following and/or favoriting this story!**

 **Disclaimer: All characters from Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus were created by Rick Riordan, not me :P.**

* * *

 **~Chapter 6~**

* * *

Piper sat down in the cafeteria tiredly, her head slumped against the table. Thanks to three Roman's, she hadn't gotten any sleep at all. She heard someone sit down beside her, causing her to turn her head slightly.

"Hi Piper, " Annabeth said, offering her a smile. "Did Leo's little bugs keep you up all night?"

"Yep. Wait, how do you know about them?"

" I was at Percy's house. Leo decided to come over there to decide how he should retaliate," Annabeth said, shaking her head slightly. " Leo didn't even listen to me. I'm so sorry Piper."

"Nah,it's okay, " Piper mumbled tiredly. "He is full of shist and doesn't listen to anyone," She snorted.

Annabeth grinned. " Yeah, he can be a bit stubborn."

"Yup"

Suddenly, screams echoed from the kitchen.

" What the heck is that thing doing?"a voice shrieked.

"Speaking of Leo…"

The curly haired boy was casually leaning up against the kitchen door, grinning like a madman as the cafeteria workers frantically trying to stop the automatic cake frosting machine from spelling 'ALL DA LADIES LUV LEO' on every cake.

Annabeth groaned. "He'll never grow up, will he?"

"I'm not betting on it" Piper said, grinning slightly.

* * *

Piper stared at the volleyball tryouts sign up list. So far, an Annabeth Chase, Katie Gardner, Calypso Ogygia, and Lou Ellen had signed up. She sighed, concerned. This year's team wasn't going to be nearly as strong as last years without Thalia Grace, the best volleyball player Greek High had ever seen. With Thalia, the Greek volleyball team had flattened all competition. Thalia had graduated last year. Piper and Annabeth were pretty good, but they weren't nearly as good as Thalia. She wasn't even sure who Calypso Ogygia even was. Lou Ellen was okay...

Suddenly, Piper was rudely shoved aside as Drew Tanaka, surrounded by her minions,write her name on the sign up list with a flourish, carefully making sure that her signature completely covered the entire paper.

"Oh, hello Dumpster Queen, " she smirked. "You weren't honestly going to sign up, were you? The last thing we need us a player who'll end up in the Emergency Room right after the game starts. "

"That's ironic coming from you," Piper blurted out quickly, regretting it the moment it left her lips.

Drew narrowed her eyes. "You should go back to the reservation where you belong, you filthy brat."

Piper just hurled Drew aside and wrote her name on the sheet of paper below the first sign up sheet. She blinked back the tears, willing herself not to cry. Piper McLean had never cried in front of anyone, and she never intended to.

Drew and her cronies just laughed and jeered ate her, openly making fun of Piper.

"Oh my gods, she really is hideous. No one deserves to see a creature that disgusting."

"OMG, is she wearing a mask?"

"Oh please, she'll never even get past the volleyball tryouts."

"Go back to the rez where you belong."

"Is there a problem here?" a new voice asked.

Drew and her group shut up almost immediately. "No Mr. Brunner," Drew said sweetly, smiling at the vice principal, who was sitting in his wheelchair. "There isn't a problem at all."

"I see, " he replied evenly. "Drew, may I speak to Piper for a moment?"

"Of course Mr. Brunner," Drew replied, leading her group away from the two.

Once Drew was out of sight, Mr. Brunner turned to Piper. "Piper, is Drew bullying you again?"

"Yep, she still is."

"Do you wish for me to intervene, or will this blow over? I simply cannot have this level of bullying at this school."

"It's fine Mr. Brunner, I can stand up to her, " Piper said, trying to believe her lie.

"I'm always in my office if you need assistance Piper. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting soon. "

"Thanks Mr. Brunner," She said, smiling.

"You're welcome Piper," the vice principal smiled, and rolled away.

* * *

Piper had decided to walk home that day. She usually took the school bus, but today was an unusually nice day, and the bus tended to be extremely hot and overcrowded with sweaty and loud kids. As she trudged away from the school, she soon became lost in her thoughts. Today hadn't been the best day, considering that Drew had nearly made her cry, which was a tragedy. The highlight was when when Leo tampered with Coach Hedge's megaphone, causing him to speak like a chipmunk from Alvin and the Chipmunks.

( _Flashback scene)_

 _"Give me twenty push-ups," Coach squeaked, which caused the students to laugh hysterically._

 _"Valdez!" he yelped._

 _Leo just laughed. "You're welcome Alvin, I mean, Coach"_

 _(End flashback)_

Piper smiled at the thought. She was so lost on her thoughts that she never even saw the truck come barreling around the turn. Piper didn't notice that it was headed straight towards her. She never even heard the driver honk his horn as he neared her, frantically trying to catch her attention.

* * *

 **Dun Dun DUNN. Lol, did you really think I'd end it there? Anyways, here's the second part.**

Suddenly, Piper felt someone grab her by the back of her tee shirt. The person then quickly flung her away from the road. The truck raced past, scraping her arm a bit, but thankfully not completely hitting her.

Piper rolled on the sidewalk gasping and trying to catch her breath. She laid on her back, wearily trying to regain the oxygen she had lost from the impact of hitting the sidewalk.

"What on Earth were you thinking?"

Piper turned her head to look at her rescuer, her blurry vision slowly sharpening.

"Jason?" Piper croaked.

"Oh my Gods Pipes! Why didn't you notice that truck coming at you?! Couldn't you hear it honking?!

"No," Piper grimaced, slowly sitting up. "I couldn't. I wasn't really paying attention."

"Why not? Pipes, you were nearly run over!"

"Sorry Jason, I was just distracted, okay?" Piper mumbled, still trying to clear her head.

"Your arm's bleeding," he said, gesturing at the long red scratches on Piper's skin.

"They're just a few scratches, I'll be fine. I already have a tetanus shot. At least, I think a tetanus shot. You need one if those for a cut right?" Piper asked Jason.

"I don't know, " Jason replied. "I think your arm will be fine though. You may want to clean the cut out when you get home though."

"Thanks Jason, "Piper said, smiling. "I owe you one."

"Uh, you're welcome."

"Hey,why did you save me in the first place? Most Romans wouldn't of cared if I was hit by car," Piper asked. As horrible as that sounded, it was the honest truth. The Romans truly hated the Greeks.

"I couldn't just let someone get run over. It's not in my nature. "

Piper just stared at him in disbelief. "Wow, that's unusual. A Roman helping a Greek."

"Yeah, but it's also unusual for a Greek to help Romans," he said, grinning.

Piper laughed, but stopped as soon as she saw _her_ standing behind Jason, her face terrified. Jason's eyes looked at her questioningly. Piper looked up, causing Jason to turn around. Jason blanched as he saw _her_ behind him.

"Look Thalia, please don't kill me, " Jason and Piper said at the same time. The two just looked at each other in confusion.

Thalia Grace laughed, her smile lighting up her face.

* * *

"So wait a minute, you two are siblings?" Piper asked in disbelief.

Thalia had taken Piper and Jason to her house, and was explaining everything to Jason and Piper, who had been extremely confused that they both knew Thalia.

"Yep, " Thalia grinned. "Yeah, I know we look nothing alike. "

"Thalia, you never told me you had gone to Greek High. I thought you were going to school at some other city after you got expelled from New Rome," Jason interjected.

"Mom was too lazy to drive that far, so our parents just enrolled me in Greek High. I never told you because I didn't want you to hate me or anything," Thalia explained. "I'd rather lie to you than lose you. I'm actually surprised that you didn't notice that I was on the GHS volleyball team"

"Oh, " Jason said slowly. "So, you and Piper were on the volleyball team together?"

"Yep," the two girls said at the same time.

"Well, that explains why our volleyball team was crushed. "

"Well, as much as I enjoy talking to you two, I have to get going. My dad will be home soon and it's getting dark, " Piper said, standing up. "It was nice talking to you again Thalia."

"You too Piper. You should come over tomorrow or something. We could talk about volleyball techniques," Thalia smiled. "See ya Pipes. Hey Jason, will you please shut the door behind her?"

"Sure Thals, "Jason replied, following Piper over to the front door.

"Once again, thanks for saving me from that truck Jason," She said thankfully.

"Uh, you're welcome. " Jason muttered.

She smiled and hugged Jason, who nearly fell over in shock.

Piper pulled away and offered him one last smile. "Bye Jason. "

"Bye Piper," Jason heard himself respond as she walked away, still trying to calm down from the fact that Piper McLean had just hugged him. It was just a hug, but Jason couldn't understand why he was smiling like an idiot.

* * *

"Hey Jace? Are you gonna just let the bugs in or are you actually going to close that door?"

"Oh, uh, sorry Thals. I was just thinking about something," Jason said, closing the front door slowly .

"Are you okay Jason?" Thalia asked, concerned. "Your face is super red."

"It's nothing Thalia. I'm fine."

"Don't you dare lie to me, Jason Romulus Grace. I changed your diapers when you were little, I can tell when you are lying, " Thalia snapped.

Jason just turned away from her. "Seriously Thalia, I'm fine."

Thalia eyed him suspiciously, then grinned. "It's a girl, isn't it?"

She was answered with silence.

"Awwww, does Jason have a little crush?" Thalia teased, smiling like crazy. Her grin threatened to split her face in half.

"Yeah, it's a girl, " Jason said quietly.

"Is it Reyna?"

"No way. She's like a sister to me "

"Hazel?"

"Frank would kill me."

"True…" Thalia said, trailing off. She glanced at Jason and noticed that he was still gazing at the door. "I don't get why you're so concerned. Why can't you just go and ask her out or something?"

"Well, I can't exactly do that Thals," Jason responded.

"Why not?" Thalia asked her little brother.

She was, once again, met with silence.

"Oh…" She said, slowly piecing it together. "It's Piper McLean, isn't it Jason?"

His silence only confirmed her guess.

* * *

 **New Chapter**

 **So…how was it? Does anyone have any suggestions? What do you guys think will happen in the next chapter? Will Piper find the courage to stand up to Drew? Please leave a review, I love hearing your opinions! :)**

 **~This is Freedom Hunter signing out~**


	7. Chapter 7- Tryouts

**Heyo guys! ^¬^ I'm back with another chapter! So sorry about the unplanned three week absence, but I hope this chapter makes up for it. Oh, and by the way, I'm still accepting OCs. OC templates must include the appearance, name, school, and personality.**

 **~Review Responses~**

 **BelleTheCountryStar: I glad that you enjoyed the last chapter! You pretty much inspired me to write it!**

 **Lia (Guest) : I love your OC! Aria is going to be in this chapter. ^~^ I hope you like my choice of Jordan as Aria's last name since you didn't put down a last name. You made my day, and really encouraged me to continue. Thanks for completing an OC form! I really appreciate it!**

 **d (guest): I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

 **The Guest who reviewed the last chapter: Thanks! I hope you like this one too!**

 **thedauntlessamity: I totally agree with you, but again, it wouldn't be a story without it.**

 **I really appreciate that you guys left reviews! Oh, and a huge thanks to thedauntlessamity, PJOfangirl1218, DWGolondor, and CalypsoLemonadefor favoriting and/or following this story.**

 **Disclaimer: Do I seem like Rick Riordan to you? I do not own Percy Jackson or the Heroes of Olympus.**

* * *

~Chapter 7~

* * *

Piper walked into the gym, her kaleidoscope eyes sparkling with stubborn determination. She just had to get on the volleyball team. No one would stop her, not even Drew. As Piper sat down on the bench, a girl with caramel hairs at down quietly next to her.

"Hi, I'm Piper," the Piper said, smiling at the girl. "You must be Calypso Ogygia. You're trying out for the volleyball team right?"

"Yes,I am," Calypso responded,returning the smile.

"Ewwwwww, look, the new girl's hanging out with the Dumpster Queen!"

Piper and Calypso turned around and spotted a girl with long dark hair smirking at them.

"Oh come on darling, you don't want to hang out with her! Have you seen the clothes she wears? She might as well have dug them out of a dump!" Drew laughed. "You don't have to hang out with her. Come on, new girl, you are welcome to sit with me. You don't even know if that girl has her shots yet. She could be rabid. Or she might even have lice"

Piper furiously lunged at Drew, wanting to claw her eyes out, but Calypso just threw her arm in front of Piper, stopping her. Calypso's eyes narrowed in distaste as she stared at Drew coldly.

"I'd much rather stay with Piper over here. At least she had the decency to actually introduce herself, " Calypso snarled, as she glared at Drew with burning eyes, daring her to speak.

Drew seemed to shrink in Calypso's glare as she hurriedly backed up and retreated back to her friends.

Piper stared at Calypso in admiration. "That was…impressive."

"That girl is such a-"

"ALL DA LADIES LUV LEO!"

The two girls looked over in the direction of Leo's voice. Coach Hedge was cursing at the traitorous megaphone he held in his hands. He tried again, but Leo's voice came through andended up yelling, LEO VALDEZ, BAD BOY SUPREME, and ALL THE LADIES LOVE A BAD BOY! After about half a dozen tries, the megaphone no longer shouted in Leo's voice and seemed to be functioning properly.

"LISTEN UP CUPCAKES!" Coach Hedge shouted through his megaphone. "EVERYONE GET DOWN HERE!"

All the girls climbed down from the bleachers and walked over to the middle of the gym floor.

"IS THIS EVERYONE WHO SIGNED UP?"

"Yes Coach, that's everyone," Annabeth said the the megaphone welding coach with her hands clapped over her ears.

"OKAY, DROP DOWN AND GIVE ME TWENTY!"

As the girls all began doing their push-ups, Piper heard Coach muttering about how pathetic the group of kids that had showed up this year was. Piper mentally rolled her eyes, Coach was such a sweetheart sometimes.

Once everyone had done their push-ups, Coach loudly ordered them to practice serving volleyballs over the net. To Piper's dismay, many of them were wildly flying in every direction. How could they possibly win the annual volleyball tournament this year?

"MY GRANDMOTHER CAN DO IT BETTER THAN YOU!" Coach Hedge yelled.

Needless to say, that "encouragement" from Coach didn't help them very much.

The next thing that coach instructed them to do was to bump the ball back and forth over the net to each other. Piper was relieved to find that they were doing better in that category. She turned around just in time to see a stray volleyball fly towards Drew Tanaka's surprised face.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! " Drew shrieked, falling on her butt with a loud _thunk_. She sat up and furiously pointed an accusing finger at a young brunette girl on the other side of the net, who was shaking with fear under Drew's livid glare. "YOU FILTHY ROTTEN LITTLE PIECE OF SCHIST! " she screamed, her eyes flashing at the quaking girl.

"What's going on?" Coach asked, thankfully not using his megaphone to everyones relief.

"T-T-That little, why, _that_ little, mutt! " Drew hissed., her eyes burning into the smaller girl. "That girl just hit me in the face with a volleyball!" She growled.

"Oh suck it up cupcake!" Hedge yelled. "Don't worry, that just proves that you have slow reactions Tanaka. You can't be on the team with reactions that slow cupcake,and I only allow people above the age of three to be on the sports teams. Someone get her to the nurse," Coach rolled his eyes.

Drew stood there, shocked for a moment. Piper had never admired Coach more than she did at that moment. He had just told Drew Tanaka off. Drew just stormed out of the gym, the doors slamming behind her loudly.

"So, anyways, I've already decided who will be on the team," Coach Hedge announced. "Calypso What-ever-your-last-name-is, Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, Katie Gardner, Aria Jordan…"

Piper zoned out a bit. Aria Jordan? Who was that?

"... and Lou Ellen," Coach finished. "If I called your name, please stay behind."

Piper stood and waited for the girls who hadn't been chosen to leave the gym. Once everyone else had left, Coach beckoned for the them to gather up in the middle of the gym. She carefully examined the faces of all the girls around her, noting that the only girl there that she didn't know was the girl who hit Drew in the head with the volleyball. So, that's Aria. Piper thought with amusement. At least I know she has amazing aim.

"Allright cupcakes, listen up. Practice is at three thirty in this gym, five days a week. You guys better show up or else," Coach said with narrowed eyes. "If you miss four practices, I'll kick you off the team. Do I make myself clear?" he barked, looking at the girls expectantly.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Piper said, rolling her eyes at Coach. Her teammates all responded similarly.

"Alright then, I'll see you guys tomorrow," he said, walking away from the group of girls.

Piper grabbed her water bottle and followed everyone else out the door. As she walked through the hallway, she remembered that she had promised Thalia that she would drop by for a visit.

* * *

"Oh, hey Pipes. "

"Hi Jason, is Thalia home?" Piper asked Jason.

"I'm right here!" A voice yelled from behind Jason. "Just give me a minute!"

A few seconds later, Thalia Grace came barreling around the corner.

"Hi Piper!" the black haired girl said enthusiastically. "How was tryouts?" Thalia asked, nudging her brother aside so that Piper could come in.

"Oh, tryouts were pretty good," Piper responded, plopping herself down on the couch. "This years team won't be nearly as good as last years was though."

"So who's on the team?" Thalia asked curiously, sitting next to her. Behind her, Jason awkwardly shuffled towards them and sat on a couch across from them.

"Coach Hedge decided that-"

"Hedge is coaching the volleyball team? Man, you guys are gonna get whipped into shape," Thalia said, cutting Piper off.

"Yep, " Piper responded.

"That sounds fun," Thalia grinned, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Go on."

"Well, Coach chose me, Annabeth, Lou Ellen, Katie Gardner, Calypso Ogygia-"

"Wait, what was that last one?" Thalia interrupted.

"Calypso Ogygia, " Piper responded. "So, as I was saying-"

"How do you pronounce her last name?" Thalia interrupted again while Jason mentally facefalmed.

"Oh-gee-gee-a" Piper said, pronouncing it slowly. "May I go on now?" Piper asked, getting a bit irritated with Thalia's interruptions.

"Yeah sure, go ahead. "

"So anyways, me, Annabeth, Katie Gardner, Lou Ellen, Calypso Ogygia, and Aria Jordan made the team. One or two others may have also made it, but I wasn't listening that closely."

"Who the heck is Aria Jordan?" Thalia asked Piper.

"I don't know who she is," Piper said. "But I do know that she bumped a volleyball into Drew Tanaka's face," she said, smirking a little bit. "I'm sure she's a great volleyball player."

Thalia was nearly rolling on q the ground laughing. "She hit Tanaka in the face with a volleyball? Man, that girl has a death wish. I wish I'd seen it."

"Wait a second, isn't Drew Tanaka that Asian girl who dresses like a supermodel all the time?" Jason asked the two girls.

"Yeah, that's definitely her," Piper said, laughing.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

All three of their heads shot up, laughter dying instantly. Thalia practically hurled Piper into a nearby cupboard. Piper crawled deeper in and made herself more comfortable in the cramped space.

"Stay put Pipes. I'll let you know when the coast is clear," Thalia whispered harshly, gently easing the door shut.

"Sure thing, " Piper whispered into the darkness.

* * *

Jason opened the door.

"Hi Jason," Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano said, smiling at him. "May I come in? I've got to talk to you."

"Uh, sure," Jason said. "Have a seat Reyna. "

The Praetor sat down on the couch.

"I need your help Jason."

"With what?"

"Stopping Octavian. He is a dangerous madman, and he wants to be Praetor."

At New Rome High School, there were two leaders of the student council, called Praetors. Reyna was the only one, the other one had graduated, and a new Praetor was needed. He or she was to be chosen by the student council.

"Why me?" Jason asked, slightly confused.

"You are a natural leader, Jason, " the Praetor said. "I already have the council's approval. All I need is for you to accept my offer. "

 _BANG_

" _Ow"_

Piper winced as she banged her head against the top of the cabinet. She rubbed the top of her head, scowling.

"What was that?" Reyna asked, standing up.

Thalia came bounding down the stairs. "Yo Reyna! Wassup girl?" She said, smiling. "Come over and give old Thalia a hug!" Thalia grinned enthusiastically, holding her arms out.

"Hello Thalia," Reyna said, smiling a bit, yet not moving towards or away from Thalia.

"What? No hug?"

"I'd rather not. Anyways, did you just hear a loud bang?" Reyna asked Thalia.

"Oh, uh, that was me dropping my history textbook. So, what did I miss?" Thalia asked, throwing herself on the couch closest to the cabinet.

"I want Jason to be the Praetor, " Reyna replied.

Thalia grinned. "Praetor huh?"

"Yup, " Jason said. "Of course I'll be the Praetor, Reyna. "

"Thank you so much Jason," Reyna said, smiling at him.

"No problem Reyna."

Reyna leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss against his cheek. Thalia's eyes widened as Jason tried his best not to jerk back, thinking that it would hurt her feelings. Reyna rarely showed any form of affection for anybody. He found himself desperately hoping that she would pull away soon.

Reyna pulled away.

"Well, I've got to get going. I'll see you at school tomorrow Praetor, " she said smiling at Jason.

"Bye Reyna, " Jason said as Thalia escorted Reyna to the door.

Piper looked through the miniscule gap between the cabinet doors. Was Reyna gone yet? Then she spotted Reyna with her lips pressed against Jason's cheek. She nearly laughed at the look of discomfort on his face. Piper watched as Reyna left. She then crawled out of the walked over to Jason, who was still staring over at the door.

"Hey, are you okay Jason? Piper asked concerned, putting her hand on his shoulder.

Jason jumped a bit at her touch. "Yeah, I'm totally fine," he lied offering her smile.

Piper stared at him for a bit. "I know you're lying to me, Jason."

He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Anyways," she said, stepping away from him. "I've got to go." She started walking towards the door. "See ya Jason. "

Jason turned towards her retreating form. "Piper?"

She stopped. "Yes Jason?"

"Can you meet me at Nectar and Ambrosia tomorrow?" Jason asked quickly.

Piper turned to look at him curiously. "Are you asking me on a date?" She asked him.

"Yep, " Jason said, regaining his confidence.

"Well, I can't. I've got volleyball practice till five, and Nectar and Ambrosia is always packed full of people who may recognize us," Piper responded. "But I'm free on Saturday. We can hang out at my place or something," Piper smiled.

"That's great! So, Saturday right?" Jason asked Piper, a smile flitting across his face.

"Uh huh. Come at four," Piper grinned. "See you on Saturday," She said, walking out the front door.

Jason couldn't wipe that stupid smile off his face as he sank down onto the couch. He had just landed a date with Piper McLean. Thalia crept out of a closet she had been hiding in.

"Sooooo, a date huh?" She asked, smirking.

"Shut up Thalia. "

* * *

 **New Chapter**

 **Well I hope you guys liked this chapter ツ. Oh and remember to drop a review. I love it when you guys give me feedback.**

 **~This is Saoirse signing out~**


	8. Chapter 8- Saturday

**Hi there guys, I'm back! Once again, sorry for the slight delay in updates. My updates may be coming less frequently as school is starting soon, but don't worry, I promise to update at least twice a month. ;)**

 **Special thanks to WhyWouldIBeObsessed, lightningoceandeath, Athena's Owl Call, Lively Emerald Green Eyes, go4thandlive, Tricsha Wren, and creamell for favoriting and/or following this story. Thanks guys! So anyways, on with the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or The Heroes of Olympus.**

* * *

 **~Chapter 8~**

* * *

The bells attached to the front door of Nectar and Ambrosia rang as Piper McLean strolled in. She ordered her usual smoothie, grabbed a muffin, and plopped down at her usual table to eat her breakfast and wait for Annabeth to show up. She watched as Annabeth walked in, ordered her drink and pastry, and sat down across from her.

"Hi Annabeth, thanks for showing up," Piper smiled, sipping her drink.

"No problem Piper," the blonde replied, grinning at Piper. "What is it that you wanted me to help you with?"

"I have a… guest coming over to my house tonight," Piper said, blushing slightly. "Do you have any suggestions about what we should do?"

"A guest? What do you mean?" Annabeth asked, confused.

Piper stared at her.

"Oh… it's a guy isn't it?" Annabeth said, smirking at her friend. "Piper has a boyfriend, " she laughed, nudging her friend knowingly.

Piper blushed, "He's not my boyfriend!"

"Uh huh, suuuuurrre," her friend chortled. "What's his name?" She asked curiously.

"I'm not telling, " Piper responded quickly, turning bright red.

"Fine, be like that," Annabeth snickered, amused at her friend's obvious discomfort. "So anyways, you guys should definitely have pizza. Some dessert would be nice too, and-"

"Hold your horses for a second Annabeth," Piper said. "I'm a vegetarian, and I'm pretty sure he's not."

"That doesn't matter Piper. You've can always just order a half meat and half vegetarian pizza, " Annabeth stated. "Anyways, you two should watch a movie that isn't scary. I know how much you hate scary movies. Maybe… The Avengers or something. The Lightning Thief wouldn't be a bad one either-"

"Nope, I hate that movie."

"Oh, okay," Annabeth said. "Then, that should be it. Do you think you need any more advice from me?"

"No, I think that's it. Thanks Annabeth!" Piper said as the two friends walked out of the coffee shop.

* * *

The minute he walked through the doors of the high school, Jason felt all eyes trained upon him. He instantly straightened up and held his head high. As he walked through the halls, everyone fell silent. Jason just walked on.

"All hail Praetor Jason Grace!" someone called. Everyone cheered, and Jason felt someone grab his arm. He turned and saw Hazel beaming at him.

"Congratulations Jason!" She squealed, nearly tackling him with an overly energetic hug.

"Thanks Hazel," Jason laughed.

Frank pushed his way through the crowd that had gathered around Jason. "Good job Jason, " he said, offering him a smile.

Jason returned the smile, grinning at everyone. Suddenly, the crowd parted for Reyna, who made her way over to Jason. The Praetor stood next to him as all noise stopped. She gazed over all the people around her.

"I present to you, Jason Grace, Praetor of New Rome!" She shouted lifting Jason's arm up above his head.

The hall shook with their thunderous cheers. Everyone roared their , everyone except a certain blonde boy in the back corner. Octavian Augur glared at the two Praetors, his gaze buying straight through the two. He should've been Praetor. That thief, Grace, wouldn't be nearly as good as Octavian would've been if he had been elected by the Council to be Praetor. He had plans, brilliant plans, that he was going to carry out, but _Jason Grace_ had been elected Praetor. Octavian sneered, glaring at Jason. No matter what, he _was_ going to carry out his plans, he just needed to get Jason out of the way first.

* * *

Piper groaned,her head resting on one of the school picnic table wearily. Her day had been horrible. She had a ton of homework and an upcoming test that she _had_ to study for. To make matters worse, Drew had locked her in her locker. Piper had been grabbing something out of it when she was suddenly shoved into her locker. The next thing she knew, the door slammed closed behind her. Piper had sat there in that horribly cramped position for twenty minutes. She had to text for help, and since Percy was the only one who was on their phone at the time, he to came and released her from her prison.

/Flashback/

' _Can someone come and unlock my locker? I got locked in.' Piper texted her distress call, hoping her friends who were in class could somehow save her._

 _Five minutes later, she got a response._

' _I'm coming Piper' - Percy_

 _She waited for a bit, then she heard the locker unlocking. Piper looked up as Percy opened up the door. He frowned at her, concerned._

" _You okay Piper?" Percy asked,helping her out._

" _Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for helping me Percy. "_

" _It was Drew, wasn't it?"_

" _Yep"_

" _Piper, do you want me to-"_

" _No, I don't want you to take care of Drew for me. I can do it myself!" Piper said._

 _Percy looked at her doubtfully._

"Hey Beauty Queen!"

Piper's head shot up from where it had been resting. Her vision blurred a bit before she managed to focus on the person in front of her. She eventually made out Leo's grinning face. Piper managed to smile at him.

"Hi Leo."

Leo went over and sat down next to her. For once, he kept his mouth shut for more than five minutes.

Eventually, it was Piper who broke the silence.

"So, what's up?" She asked tiredly, her head resting on her hand.

"You looked like a zombie, you okay Piper?" Leo asked, concern written all over his face.

"I'm fine. "

"Well, we both know that's a lie, " Leo shot back. "Seriously, what's up? You can tell Leo everything. " Leo said, grinning.

Piper's head slumped. "Leo, I'm just so tired and worn down."

"It's all gonna be all right, Beauty Queen," Leo said, patting her on the shoulder. "Don't worry."

"Thanks Leo," Piper mumbled.

A voice piped up from behind them suddenly. "Piper! There you are! I was just looking for you. So I was thinking that for your date, you should also have popcorn!"

Piper and Leo both turned to see Annabeth standing there. Piper's jaw dropped as her eyes frantically tried to tell Annabeth to keep her mouth shut.

"A date?" Leo asked, curiously. "You finally managed to get someone huh? So, who's the lucky guy?" Leo asked mischievously, his smirk spreading across his face.

Piper blushed furiously. "It's none of your business Leo, " she stuttered bashfully.

"Piper has a boyfriend, Piper has a- hey!" Piper shoved Leo off the bench roughly, causing him to land on the ground.

" _Shut up Leo!"_

 _Throughout the entire exchange, Annabeth's cheeks had reddened as she realized that she had accidentally_ spilled one of Piper's secrets.

"Well, Um, I've gotta go. See you later Piper!" Annabeth said, quickly making her escape.

Piper mentally groaned as Annabeth took off. _Darn it Annabeth. Why did you have to bring that up?_

Leo laughed. "C'mon Piper, " he whined. "Why can't you tell me?"

"She said no, " a voice said.

The two turned and saw Calypso standing behind them with her arms crossed.

"Leave Piper alone," Calypso said, glaring at Leo.

Leo just stared at her, his eyes widening slightly. "Um, uh, who are you exactly?" he stuttered nervously. Piper looked at him with amazement. Leo rarely stuttered or showed his nervousness.

"Does who I am really matter? Now leave Piper alone!" She hissed, her gaze burning through Leo.

"Uh, okay?" Leo said, stumbling away from them blindly.

Calypso sat down on the bench next to Piper and the duo watched Leo walk away.

"Thanks Calypso, " Piper muttered thankfully.

"No problem, " Calypso responded. "What was he bothering you about anyways?" She asked curiously.

"Oh," Piper said quietly. "He was trying to figure out who I was going on a date with. "

"I see, " Calypso said. "Anyways, I was going to ask you when practice was today. I can't really remember what time it was going to be at."

"Oh yeah, it's at three thirty," Piper said, slightly relieved that Calypso hadn't tried to dig information about Jason out of her.

"Thanks Piper. "

"No problem Calypso. "

* * *

As Jason trudged through the halls, the crowd parted for him respectfully. _Everyone treats me differently now,_ Jason thought as he took a seat in his Latin class. He nearly fell asleep as he sat through the teacher's voice drone on in a lecture about Latin.

"Mr. Grace?"

Jason's head shot up. "Yes Ma'am?" He asked confused, his eyesight slightly blurry from sleep.

"The council wants you up in the office," the teacher said. All eyes turned to Jason.

"Okay," Jason said, standing up and walking out the door.

As he walked through the halls, Jason thought about what the council wanted him for. _I didn't do anything wrong, maybe they're welcoming me._

He opened the door slowly. Inside, a dozen pairs of eyes peered at him. Jason walked in the office and closed the door behind him slowly. The council members were seated around a long rectangular table. Reyna sat at one end, and an empty chair sat at the other.

"Welcome, Praetor. Please take a seat," said Dakota, who happened to be a council member.

Jason sat down a bit nervously, not letting his nervousness show.

Reyna spoke up. "The council welcomes you, Jason, as our Praetor. We hope that you will represent New Rome High School to the best of your ability, and will also assist us in our goal of keeping our school's positive environment."

 _Positive environment?_

"Do you, Jason Grace, promise to properly represent NRHS by being a model citizen and not supporting any other rival schools in any way?"

"I do," Jason said, confidently. _If I support Piper and Thalia, will that be counted as traitorous?_ Jason thought.

"And furthermore, will you assist us with the enforcing of our school rules?" Reyna asked, looking at Jason.

"I do. "

"Jason Grace, you shall now be known as Praetor Grace. May your rule as Praetor be just," Reyna announced,smiling at Jason warmly.

Gwen, one of the Council members, spoke up. "We would like you to discourage Octavian, Praetor Grace. His ideas are a bit radical and leave a stain on our positive environment. Will you try to dissuade him?"

"I'll do my best. "

"Good, we should all be heading back to class," Reyna announced loudly. "Thus meeting is dismissed."

As everyone started piling out the door, Reyna grabbed Jason's arm.

"Hey Jason," She said to him, grinning. "Are you doing anything on Saturday evening? I was thinking the two of us could watch a movie or something, " Reyna asked him.

"Yeah, I already am. Sorry Reyna, " Jason said. "Maybe some other time." _I hope that didn't sound like I was rejecting her,_ Jason thought, mentally wincing. _I don't want to hurt her feelings._

"Oh, " Reyna said, deflating a bit. "Well, that's too bad. We could definitely go some other time Jason. I guess I'll see you later then," She said, turning away from him and walking down the hall. Jason just stared after her before he too turned and walked back to class.

* * *

It was Saturday.

Piper had never been more nervous in her life, or so she thought. Jason was going to be over in an hour. She had already prepared everything. The pizza was on the counter, soda in the fridge, _everything_ was how it should be.

 _What if Jason doesn't like it?_

The doorbell rang, loudly interrupting her thoughts.

Jason stood outside Piper's door, his hand having just pressed the doorbell. He tried not to show his nervousness as he anxiously waited for her to answer the door.

The door opened and Piper was standing there, smiling at him. Jason managed to smile back at her somehow,miraculously.

"Hi Jason!" Piper said, hoping that her voice didn't sound overly energetic. "Come on in!"

"Hi Piper, " Jason replied, stepping in.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"No thanks, I'm good."

"There's some pizza and Paper plates on the counter. Come help yourself," Piper said motioning at the food.

Jason grabbed his pizza and sat down on the couch. Piper sank down across from him with her own food. The two determinedly focused on eating, neither looking at the other.

 _Awkward._

"So… " Piper said, breaking the silence. "I know that you're a 'Praetor' now. What exactly is a Praetor Jason?" She asked curiously, her kaleidoscope eyes shining.

"Oh,a Praetor is pretty much the leader of the Romans. We're pretty much like the school presidents," Jason said, received that she had spoken.

"Really? That's awesome Jason!" Piper grinned. " How many Praetors are there usually?"

"There are only ever two Praetors, " Jason replied.

"Who's the other Praetor then?"

"The other Praetor is Reyna, " Jason said quietly, hoping that Piper wouldn't ask him more about Reyna.

"Reyna, Reyna, Reyna, wait, isn't she that girl who plays all the sports?" Piper asked Jason.

"Uh, yeah, " Jason said. He had completely forgotten that Reyna played all the school sports. Piper would be going against her in a volleyball game in about a week if he remembered correctly.

"Oh, well that's nice, " Piper said awkwardly. "Would you like some more pizza?"

"Uh, sure, " Jason replied.

 _Can this get any more awkward?_ Jason thought as he accepted his second plate of pizza.

* * *

 **New Chapter**

 **Thanks guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please take a few seconds to leave a review please! I love hearing from you guys!**

 **-Saoirse**


	9. Chapter 9- Saturday Part II

**_So um...hey?_**

 ** _For those of you still out there, before I provide you with a long-awaited and well deserved update,I must apologize for my absence. I had not anticipated being away for so long, and I really have no excuse. Two years is an awfully long time. I promise you, dear readers, that I will continue to update throughout 2018. Once again, thank you for all your support._**

 ** _Lots of love,_**

 ** _Aemith_**

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, that right goes to Rick Riordan._**

\--

~Chapter 9~

 _What the heck am I supposed to do? I've never had any guys over for like a date or anything at all. It's only been Leo, and he's practically my brother._ Piper mused as she grabbed more pizza for Jason and herself. The two of them grabbed several slices each, the mouthwatering cheesy aroma filling the kitchen.

"C'mon Jason, this way," Piper smiled, grabbing his wrist gently and pulling him along with her.

 _She's touching me, gods, her hands are so small_. Jason smiled softly, letting her lead the way.

Piper settled down onto the couch, releasing Jason. For a moment, he wished that she could've held on for just a bit longer. Her hands, soft, warm, and comforting, had send shocks throughout his arm. Jason had never felt anything like it, and longed for her touch.

"So, what do you wanna watch?" Piper asked, grabbing the remote from the coffee table. "Whatever you want, my dad loves movies. He has a ton."

"I don't really have a preference. Anything that you want us fine with me," Jason shrugged, smiling at Piper.

"Well, I guess that means we'll be watching The Avengers then. It's one of my favorites."

"So, The Avengers it is then, " Jason grinned, as Piper's face lit up with happiness.

\--

After the movie was over, the two had gotten into an argument over the most powerful Avenger. This resulted in an hour long battle, complete with eye rolls, snappy remarks, and popcorn chucking.

"Still, Captain America is the coolest," Jason argued.

"But what about Hulk? He could easily crush him," Piper lashed back, throwing a piece of popcorn at him.

"No, Captain America is literally the coolest," Jason grinned, dodging the popcorn.

Piper rolled her eyes at him, and threw a blanket directly in his face.

"Yeah, that was pretty bad," Jason's muffled voice admitted. He sheepishly pulled the blanket off his face, playfully throwing it back at her.

Piper laughed, rising to her feet. She turned the TV off and turned to Jason.

"It's actually getting pretty late," she realized, shocked, glancing down at her phone. "I'm sure your parents would be worried if you aren't home soon."

 _No, probably not._ Jason though, his heart dropping

"Yeah, you're right," Jason lied. "I should probably get out of your hair. My parents are probably wondering when I'll be back," he said, looking up at Piper, shooting her a smile.

Piper squinted at him, her eyes piercing into his. For a moment, it seemed to Jason as if Piper had seen right through his deception, but that fear quickly dissipated as she smiled up at him.

"Of course they are. Would you like any pizza to take back with you? I can't eat this all by myself. I'm sure Thalia would like some," Piper laughed, already grabbing a few slices for Jason to take home.

"Oh, sure I guess?" Jason accepted the plate of pizza that Piper plopped down on his hands. For a brief moment, their hands brushed. Piper quickly pulled away, smiling shyly at Jason, who had turned an unappealing shade of tomato red.

"Well, goodnight Jason. It was a pleasure having you over," Piper led him towards the door. "Tell your sister I said hi, will you?"

"Of course Pipes," Jason smiled. "Thanks for everything."

Piper laughed, her happiness evident in her voice. "Goodnight Jason."

\--

Jason slid into his car, a grin etched upon his face. It had been an eternity since he had smiled for this long. This girl, Piper was truly a wonder. Despite being a Greek, she showed him no ill will, and was approachable and friendly. It was as if he had known her forever, yet it had only been a few weeks. In her presence, he felt comforted, and warm, two things he never felt in his own house. Jason glanced back towards to doorway, where she still stood, waving at him. Grinning, he returned the gesture, and drove away.

\--

Piper shut the door after he left, a smile still upon her face. She grinned as she thought of their lively argument. Jason wasn't bad company after all.

There was still one thing she couldn't nail down about him. His parents. Were they absent in his life? When she had brought them up, Piper could see it in his eyes; loneliness and abandonment. Piper herself was familiar with these two. With her father often being away on business trips, she was often left home alone. Piper loved her dad, but it still felt as if he was neglecting her at times. Jason's blatant lie was easy to see through, but Piper was unwilling to press. If he had truly wanted to tell her, he would've.

 _Oh Jason, you could've just told me the truth. Can't you see? You're just like me._

Two sets of eyes watched from the bushes. One glowed a bright red, the other a soft mischievous brown. They had just witnessed Jason Grace, the Jason Grace, newly appointed Praetor of New Rome, leaving Piper McLean's place.

 _Ah, so that's the guy she was talking about._ One of the figures mused quietly, watching the red taillights of Jason's care vanishing into the night. Who would've thought that Piper had the hots for a Roman. And even worse, a Praetor.

 _"Festus, man, this isn't good at all."_

 ** _I hope my writing style hasn't changed too much for you guys. Two reviews till the next update. I hate doing this to everyone, but I really don't feel like continuing if no one will bother to read this. Anyways, thanks for supporting me you guys!_**

 ** _Aemith_**


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